Oh I didn't see that you're using your TDEE - 1000 for weight loss purposes. I read your comment as you thinking you need 1350 for maintenance. my mistake.

In any event, your deficit appears to be massive, and if you're gaining strength on that diet then that's neuromuscular adaptation, and you getting more efficient at the movements. You're not getting stronger muscles on a 1000 calorie deficit.

Nobody said it was massive or a crash diet - I'm down 32lbs in the last 15 weeks so we have no argument there.

BUT - the 2lbs a week figure is silly, since there are a number of variables at play - total mass, lean mass, protein intake, resistance exercise etc. Presumably a 115lb girl with a sixpack can't safety sustain the same rate of weight loss in absolute terms as a 400lb 6'5 dude.

A much more useful metric is calories per pound of fat mass. There's research that puts the maximal rate of fat burning (which is what you want to hit, as much fat loss as possible without catabolizing muscle) is 31kcal/lb of fat mass.

So, if you're 200lbs and 20% bodyfat, you are carrying 40lbs of fat mass. You can metabolize enough of each pound of fat to provide 31 calories, so in total you can burn 1,240 calories from your fat stores today. Any additional deficit will be provided for from your lean mass. Hit that number and tomorrow your deficit will have to be a little smaller.

Hence people struggling wildly to get under 10% bodyfat while the Biggest Loser contestants can safely drop 1.5lbs of fat a day.

I'm 185 lbs right now (approx), don't feel ravenous all day, have the energy to work out literally every day (including 50 mile bike rides on Saturdays and Sundays) and have (up until quite recently) seen decent gains in my lifts. I'm probably 15-20 lbs away from my goal in terms of fat loss (hoping for 10-12% BF) with a medium frame. Despite your claims of 2lbs a week being silly, it's worked out quite nicely for me.

Despite your claims of 2lbs a week being silly, it's worked out quite nicely for me.

That figure will work fine for some people. I'm just saying it's a silly universal benchmark since it implies that a 115lb female gymnast and a 600lb land whale can lose the same amount of weight safely. If it works for you that's great, and you seem to be happy with your progress - I'm just arguing against its usefulness as a rule of thumb.